I spotted this on a list of recent history of medicine/science dissertations (http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/histmed/dissertations) and thought SCIArt folks might want to know about it.

 I don't have easy access to ProQuest so I haven't seen the dissertation yet. I'm curious to see what Dr. O'Donnell  says about the changing technology/cost of producing and printing images over the 2 centuries. 

Karen

Karen Reeds

Princeton Research Forum, a community of independent scholars:  http://www.princetonresearchforum.org/

Karen Reeds, "Impossible Plants," essay for Weird, Wild & Wonderful: The Second New York Botanical Garden Triennial Exhibition, Curated by the American Society of Botanical Artists (Bronx NY: New York Botanical Garden and American Society of Botanical Artists, 2014), 8-11. 

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Connections between fine art and scientific illustrations in the PTRS in the period 1660-1850

2013 2013 

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Abstract(summary)

This dissertation investigates connections between scientific illustration in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (PTRS) and fine art in the period from 1660 to 1850, comparing three science illustrations from approximately 100-year intervals, 1667, 1775, and 1839, with fine art images of Van Dyck, (1641), Wilson, (1774), and Constable, (1831). My assessment consisted of an objective visual analysis of the science and fine art images using Wolfflin's comparison pairs, an analysis of the compositional and external art influences in the science images, and an evaluation of the science images related to period art theory. My research found that the science images do reflect period fine art elements, to a degree, but they are not expressive statements of fine art. My research revealed increasing aesthetic influences in the scientific images from 1667 to 1839, suggesting that the incorporation of fine art elements in these science images, and the increased use of illustrations in PTRS articles, may reflect a growing awareness of the significance of images in scientific argument.

Indexing (details)

Subject

Fine arts;
Science history

Classification

0357: Fine arts
0585: Science history

Identifier / keyword

Social sciences, Communication and the arts, Visual rhetoric, Science visuals, Scientific illustration, Wolfflin's Art Principles, Royal Society, Philosophical transactions

Title

Connections between fine art and scientific illustrations in the PTRS in the period 1660-1850

Author

O'Donnell, Kathryn E.

Number of pages

380

Publication year

2013

Degree date

2013

School code

0091

Source

DAI-A 75/02(E), Aug 2014

Place of publication

Ann Arbor

Country of publication

United States

ISBN

9781303526251

University/institution

Illinois Institute of Technology

Department

Technical Communication

University location

United States -- Illinois

Degree

Ph.D.

Source type

Dissertations & Theses

Language

English

Document type

Dissertation/Thesis

Dissertation/thesis number

3575096

ProQuest document ID

1459476183

Copyright

Copyright ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing 2013

Document URL

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1459476183

Database

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)

from Karen Reeds
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